Nitecore

NU25 UL 400 Headlamp

Name: Nitecore NU25 UL 400 Headlamp
Brand: Nitecore

Manufacturer list price (MSRP)

$36.95

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Overview

The Nitecore NU25 UL is the ultralight revision of a thru-hiker favorite: 400 lumens, a true red night mode, and USB-C charging in a headlamp that weighs under two ounces with the band. It trades the swappable battery for grams, which is the right call for most weekend-to-week trips.

Specs

Brand: Nitecore
Weight: 50 g · 1.8 oz
Item Weight: 1.6 ounces
Material: Plastic
Material Type: Plastic
Modes: Multiple white levels plus red night mode
Output: 400 lumens max
Power source: USB-C rechargeable (built-in Li-ion)

Weight vs. category

This product1.8 oz

Category average2.7 oz

34% lighter than the category average.

How it measures up

Against every one of the headlamps in the RidgeNote register with a published figure. Manufacturer-listed; sources and dates are on this page.

Weight: 1.8 oz (50 g); Lighter than 71% of 7 weighed · #2 lightest; -42% vs the median 3.0 oz
Price: $36.95; Cheaper than 71% of 7 priced · #2 cheapest; -38% vs the median $59.88 · $20.95/oz (median $20.95/oz)

The lightest of the headlamps on record is Nitecore NU20 Classic Ultralight Headlamp at 1.3 oz — 12 g less and $12.00 less.

The cheapest is Nitecore NU20 Classic Ultralight Headlamp at $24.95 — $12.00 less and 12 g lighter.

See every one of the headlamps measured →

RidgeNote verdict

The NU25 UL is a thru-hiker's calculation made concrete: 400 lumens, a genuine red mode for camp and tent use, USB-C charging, and 50 grams on your forehead including the band. For anyone counting grams on a weekend-to-week-long trip that is a good trade, and the red mode alone makes it a better tentmate than most brighter lamps. The trade is the battery, and it is not a small one. The cell is sealed in, so there is no field swap - when it dies at nine at night you are walking by phone light, and when the cell degrades after a few hundred charge cycles the lamp is finished, not repairable. Lithium output also falls off in cold, so winter runtimes come in under the printed numbers. The 400-lumen figure is a burst that steps down within minutes. Treat it as a 100-lumen lamp with a bright setting you use sparingly.

Similar — lighter or cheaper

Nitecore

NU20 Classic Ultralight Headlamp

1.3 oz · MSRP $24.95 · lighter · cheaper

Fenix

HM50R v2.0 Ultra Compact Headlamp

2.8 oz · MSRP $59.95

Black Diamond

Spot 400 Headlamp

3.0 oz · MSRP $59.95

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